Stags' Leap Winery "125th Anniversary" Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
(Napa Valley, California) - [JS 95] [DM 92] [WA 91] [WS 91] [WE 92]
Regular price $65.00 Sale price $44.97 Save $20.03
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Cabernet Sauvignon is synonymous with Napa Valley and has always been a mainstay in the winemaking program at Stags’ Leap Winery. Our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a combination of grapes from select Napa Valley growers with a focus on sourcing from the valley floor. Winemaker Christophe Paubert selects fruit that is similar in expression to the grapes from the Stags’ Leap estate, avoiding fruit from areas he considers to be too warm and instead sourcing grapes from the southern part of Napa Valley, where the climate is cooler. This strategic sourcing ensures the focus and character for which Stags’ Leap Cabernet Sauvignons are known.
Vintage Note
A tribute to our 125th anniversary, this 2018 vintage Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is specially labeled to honor and commemorate this significant milestone. The Napa Valley region enjoyed a stunning, near picture-perfect 2018 growing season including good winter rains, mild spring weather and steady temperatures throughout that allowed for even flowering and bud break. These ideal growing conditions were followed by a cool, even and slow-paced harvest which allowed the winery to vinify wines at a gentle pace. The resulting 2018 wines are of very high quality with lower alcohol, concentrated flavors, color and excellent acidity.
Winemaking
The first several weeks of a wine’s life are crucial. While the grapes for this wine were undergoing fermentation and maceration, Christophe and his team tasted and tested each lot daily to determine the pump overs regime, how much air the wine needed, and the best temperature to optimize maceration and extraction. After pressing off the skins, 37% of the wine went into new French oak barrels while the remainder went to seasoned French oak; this combination preserves freshness and gives the fruit more room to express itself. The wine aged for 20 months prior to bottling.
Christophe Paubert - Winemaker
For Christophe Paubert, Winemaker and General Manager at Stags’ Leap Winery, the identity of a wine is found through the terroir. Christophe’s career has spanned the industry from sales to winemaking, and his impressive background includes positions at Chateau d’Yquem and Gruaud-Larose as well as projects in Chile, Spain and Washington State. But it was the terroir of Stags’ Leap that drew him to California.
| Alcohol % | 14.2% |
|---|---|
| Enclosure Type | Cork |
| Oak Treatment | 100% French oak barrels (37% new) for 20 months |
| Blend | 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 2% Tannat and 2% Petit Verdot |
Ratings & Reviews
95 Points - James Suckling
"A very pretty Cabernet with very fine tannins that are polished and fresh. Beautiful currant, chocolate and walnut character. Medium to full body and a long, caressing finish. Builds beautifully at the end. So delicious now, but will develop nicely in bottle. Real 2018 character. Top vintage." (6/2021)
"Strawberry and black pepper aromas with floral and capsicum undertones and hints of clove. Crisp and nicely balanced, showing elegance. Drink 2022-2035." - VB (1/31/22)
91 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon 125th Anniversary is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 2% Tannat and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it skips out of the glass with bright, cheery blackberries, boysenberries and cassis scents, plus hints of wild sage, underbrush and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm and grainy texture with lovely freshness and an earthy finish." - LPB (Nov 2021)
91 Points - Wine Spectator:
"This is reserved in personality but there's a solid core of cassis and warmed plum sauce flavors laced with gentle alder and mineral notes through the finish. Drink now through 2028." - JM (Nov 2021)